filipino startups

Sen. Bam defends measures for start-ups, scientists and researchers

The Senate on Wednesday started plenary discussions on three measures that aim to provide needed assistance to innovative start-ups and benefits to support Filipino scientists and researchers.

Senator Bam Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, defended the three measures — Innovative Startup Act, Balik Scientist Act and Magna Carta for Scientists — during period of interpellation.

 Sen. Bam, who stood as principal sponsor and co-authors of the said measures, underscored the importance of providing support to around 200,000 innovative start-ups in the country.

 Innovative start-ups are businesses that provide unique and relevant solutions to pressing problems, from a simple application for finding a taxi and other systems for improving healthcare, supporting Filipino farmers and addressing unemployment.

“Our country has a number of promising start-ups and we need to provide them with the environment where they can grow and succeed, just like what their counterparts in other countries like United States and Israel are enjoying,” said Sen. Bam.

“Hopefully, this measure will unlock the potential of this sector. A lot of Filipino innovators are looking forward to this bill,” added Sen. Bam.

 If enacted into law, innovative startups will enjoy benefits such as tax breaks and grants and other forms of assistance, including a faster process for business registration.

 Innovative start-ups could also avail of technical assistance and training programs, free use of equipment, facilities and support for patenting or licensing of their product through the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

 Aside from the Innovative Start-up Act, the Senate also tackled the Balik Scientist Act and Magna Carta for Scientists, which both aim to ramp up support to Filipino scientists, engineers and researchers.

After the period of interpellation, the Senate will continue discussions on the said measures next month during period of amendments.

Sponsorship Speech for the Innovative Start-Up Act

SENATE BILL NO. 1532 UNDER COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 142

AN ACT PROVIDING BENEFITS AND PROGRAMS TO STRENGTHEN, PROMOTE, AND DEVELOP THE 

PHILIPPINE STARTUP ECOSYSTEM

 

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” A. Aquino IV

17th Congress, Senate of the Philippines

Sponsorship Speech, August 1, 2017

 

 

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, good afternoon, magandang hapon po sa ating lahat.

It is my honor and privilege to stand before you today to sponsor Senate Bill No. 1532 under Committee Report No. 142 entitled An Act Providing Benefits and Programs to Strengthen, Promote, and Develop the Philippine Startup Ecosystem.

 It is difficult to launch a startup, Mr. President. And it is especially difficult in the Philippines.

I experienced this firsthand when I co-founded two social enterprises- the Hapinoy Program and Rags2Riches (R2R) a couple of years agp, almost a decade ago, Mr. President.

 We experienced rejection, running out of capital and changes in our business model. We went through many of the hardships every entrepreneur experiences, which is why I have a very special place in my heart for Filipino startups.

 So when I became a legislator, Mr. President, I was determined to push for policies that empower our Filipino SMEs. .

 The first law I passed was the Go Negosyo Act and I am happy to report that there are now over 500 Negosyo Centers around the Philippines. We’ve also passed the Youth Entrepreneurship Act and other laws that support the development of our micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs.

But, Mr. President, there is still much more we can do to encourage our start-ups, particularly our innovative and technology startups.

They are businesses that provide unique and relevant solutions to our problems, from daily hassles, like finding a taxi during rush hour, to improving the delivery of healthcare, providing support for our farmers, and addressing unemployment.

 And today, Mr. President, I would like to share some of these solutions.

The first is HealthBlocks. HealthBlocks focuses on the issue of complicated and extensive personal healthcare information.

In countries like Australia and England, health records are centralized for better access to accurate health information about patients.

 HealthBlocks took this idea and created an application that can facilitate the centralization of health information in the Philippines, around Asia, and anywhere in the world.

Imagine all your health records accessible at the touch of a button and easily and  securely given to your doctors, healthcare providers, and even insurance companies.

HealthBlocks will not only improve convenience but will allow for better diagnosis and treatment of patients, Mr. President.

 Another startup, Mr. President,  is called Cropital. Cropital is attempting to solve the problem of many of our farmers, and this is the lack of access to loans with reasonable terms.

This start-up allows anyone to sign up online and choose a local farming community to invest money in.

They then manage the funds of each farm and ensure that your money goes to the right resources.

 After harvest season and the farmer’s produce is sold, the investor gets his returns based on the agreed upon terms with the community.

 Through technology and the concept of crowdsourcing, Cropital  is able to match our farmers with those with the means to invest, empowering farmers in their agribusiness. Another innovative solution, Mr. President!

My third example, Mr. President, is Virtualahan. Virtualahan is attempting to solve the problem of unemployment.

 Virtualahan actually stands for “virtual eskwelahan”, which provides digital skills training for persons with disabilities or PWDs, unemployed youth, and full time parents so they can be hired as virtual assistants for NGOs and social enterprises around the world.

 To solve the problem of unemployment, Virtualahan is using to the power of technology and the internet – which is why we must also work to improve the internet services in the country, Mr. President!

 But back to our innovative businesses, Mr. President, HealthBlocks, Cropital, Virtualahan are just 3 of over 200,000 start-ups in the Philippines with the potential to solve our country’s problems and contribute to the lives of Filipinos through the products they create and the jobs they generate.

This  Innovative Startup Act aims to give these startups a better chance of succeeding by reducing barriers to their success.

This policy seeks to support innovative startups, first, through financial subsidies like tax breaks and grants; second, through ease of doing business through their registration; and third, through technical assistance and training programs.

 Plus, there is a provision for an Innovative Startup Venture Fund of 10 billion pesos that startups can apply for.

 Through this measure, innovative startups will also be entitled to free use of equipment, facilities, and other services from government agencies, such as testing and fabrication facilities, and services for the patenting or licensing of their product with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

Mr. President, let’s take this opportunity to empower our innovators and entrepreneurs with a heart for nation-building.

 Ipasa po natin ang Innovative Startup Act at himukin ang ating mga makabagong negosyante na lumikha ng mga solusyon para sa bayan! Maraming salamat po, Mr. President, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support Senate Bill 1532, under Committee Report No. 142, the Innovative Startup Act. Maraming Salamat, Mr. President. 

Bam pushes for support for Filipino scientists, business startups

Senator Bam Aquino calls on concerned government agencies to provide necessary support to Filipino scientists to boost the country capability in terms of research and development.
 
“We want to make sure na ang ating Filipino scientists, hindi lang sila makabalik dito at magkaroon ng opportunities sa ating bansa bagkus pati iyong mga nandito hindi na kailangan lumabas ng Pilipinas,” said Sen. Bam during the hearing of the Committee on Science and Technology which he chairs.
 
Aside from enticing Filipino scientists to return to the country, concerned government agencies must give them more opportunities to thrive through proper benefits and other forms of support.
 
Sen. Bam said his committee will focus on the passage of Senate Bill No. 679 or the Magna Carta for Scientists to help address the issue.
 
Aside from the plight of Filipino scientists, the hearing also tackled the measure providing necessary support for business startups to thrive and compete in the market.
 
“Nakita natin na full support ang DOST, ang DTI, all of the agencies are fully supportive of this bill. This will hopefully unlock our digital startup community,” said Sen. Bam of his Senate Bill No. 175 or the Innovative Startup Act.
 
Among those who expressed support for the bill were Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Pena, other government officials and private stakeholders.
 
“Maraming startup sa ating bansa na magagaling. They have very good ideas pero nasasayang dahil nahihirapan magsimula ng negosyo at nahihirapan sa mga regulasyon,” said Sen. Bam.
 
If enacted into law, Sen. Bam said the Innovative Startup Act will make it easier for tech startups to set up and build successful businesses in our country.

 

Transcript: Bam on free Internet in public schools, support for under-appreciated scientists, and encouraging tech startups

Transcript of Sen. Bam Aquino’s interview after Committee on Science and Technology hearing

 

Q: When will the committee discuss Internet issues?

 Sen. Bam: Dalawa ang agency under Science and Technology. You have DOST and you have the new DICT. We’re still looking for the availability of Secretary Salalima. So we will tackle that when he’s available already.

 Marami sa amin ang nag-file na Wi-Fi in public facilities, pati na rin sa eskwelahan. That’s something we want to explore sa Committee on Education. Ang ating public schools at SUCs, may sapat na internet connectivity. Kasi napansin rin namin na kulang talaga iyong connectivity natin sa ating public schools and SUCs.

 

Q: Ano ang nakikita niyong balakid na maipasa ito?

 Sen. Bam: Actually, wala akong nakikitang balakid. Unang-una pangako ng maraming mga politiko. Pangalawa, hinahanap talaga ng mga taumbayan. Ang concern ko is kung kaya nga ba ng ating telcos na bigyan ng connectivity ang ating SUCs.

 We can pass it into law pero kung talagang mahina, kung talagang mabagal, eh, sayang din lang iyan. So we want to get a commitment also na kung gagawin natin ito, sigurado talaga na iyong speed, iyong bilis at access talagang mararamdaman ng taumbayan.

 

Q: Iyong sa Magna Carta (for Scientists), kumusta?

 Sen. Bam: Alam mo, isa ito sa mga bagay-bagay na kailangan ng ating bansa para mag-progress. Iyong ating focus sa science at math, iyong ating tulong sa mga scientists, na magkaroon ng dagdag resources sa research. Ito iyong mga bagay-bagay na kailangan mangyari so we can really move forward.

 Sabi nga ng mga resource speakers natin kanina, kulang talaga iyong support sa mga Filipino scientists. May mga provision na nakakabawas sa puwede nila makuha na suweldo and we want to correct all of this.

 We want to make sure na ang ating Filipino scientists, hindi lang sila makabalik dito, magkaroon ng opportunities dito sa aming bansa, bagkus pati iyong mga nandito hindi na kailangan lumabas ng ating bansa. Itong Magna Carta for Scientists and Science workers, isa ito sa mga bibigyan natin ng pansin in this committee.

 

Q: You spent some time with the Startup Bill. How important is this for you? What’s the potential for this getting passed?

 Sen. Bam: There’s a huge potential also because this is one of my pet bills and we really want to focus on this. At nakita naman natin na full support ang DOST, ang DTI, all of the agencies are fully supportive of this bill. This will hopefully unlock our digital startup community. Maraming startup sa ating bansa, magagaling, very good ideas pero nasasayang dahil nahihirapan magsimula ng negosyo. At nahihirapan sa mga regulasyon. So we want to make it easier for digital startups to start in our country, to sustain themselves eventually get to larger markets.

 Isa ito sa mga gusto naming itulak ngayong 17th Congress and we find a lot of support from the private sector. Of course may Silicon Valley, ang pinakasikat na startup community sa mundo.

 Mayroon din sa Israel which created Viber and Waze. We’d like to think that we have the ingredients to have a very vibrant economically viable innovative startup community. Kailangan na lang ng kaunting tulong.

 And what we want to do, gusto nating tanggalin lahat ng mga balakid sa kanila. We want to make it easier for them and create that community here. And we really feel may potential sa Pilipinas. We can really do that here.

 The startup community’s been here for a number of years already but this is the first time na binibigyan ng pansin ang kanilang concerns at nagsa-suggest ang gobyerno ng solutions na puwede nilang makuha upang mas mapadali ang proseso ng kanilang pagiging startup sa ating bansa.

 

Q: Apart from the financial incentives, ano iyong iba pang ways to help our startups?

 Sen. Bam: Alam mo, marami eh. In fact, iyong financial – isang aspeto lang iyan. Iyong isang mahalaga diyan is Ease of doing business. Pagkakaroon ng paraan na ma-recognize sila, nabibigyan ng tamang benepisyo hindi lang sa pera pati rin sa personnel, pati rin sa office space or co-working spaces.

 So the bill is very comprehensive. It’s more than just financial support. It tries to make it easier for people to start up their businesses. It makes it easier for foreigners to also come here para magsimula dito.

 Kasi nakikita natin na maraming dayuhan na maraming karanasan sa ibang bansa na gustong magtayo ng mga negosyo dito sa startup scene.

 And everytime they come here, whether they are Fil-Ams, or even foreigners mismo na napamahal sa Pilipinas. When they come here bringing their experience, mas lumalago iyong ating ecosystem.

 Lumalago iyong karanasan ng mga startups dito at nagiging mas evolved sila at mas tumataas iyong level nila. We’re hoping we can also make it easier for them to set up here.

 Mahalaga na may support – iyong financial support, ease of doing business at pagkakaroon ng komunidad na sila-sila rin magtulungan na ma-create nila iyong komunidad so we can compete with the rest of the world.

 

Q: Nabanggit niyo po -this innovative startup is not just for Filipinos?

 Sen. Bam: Well, it creates space for foreigners to also set up here or they can join Filipino companies here.

 

Q: But don’t you think iyong competition, malamangan iyong mga Filipino startup?

Sen. Bam: Well, unang-una kasi iyong ganyang mentality – iyan iyong type of mentality na hindi nakaka-progress ang mga communities. If you look at silicon valley, if you look at other startup communities around the world, there’s competition but there’s also a lot of cooperation.

 There’s also a lot of cross-learning. That’s the way that these communities really thrive, eh. Nagkakaroon ng exchange of ideas, technology and personnel. Iyan iyong paraan para talagang ma-develop iyong community. You have to allow that exchange to happen.

 Yes, they’re competing with each other but through that competition, lumalabas iyong totoong galing at nagkakaroon ng cross-learning.

 So, mahalaga iyon. Kung mananatili tayong isolated at insular, hindi talaga tayo mag-po-progress but if we want to be competitive, kailangan handa tayong tumanggap ng tao mula sa iba’t-ibang bansa. Makikipagkumpitensya sa kanila pero also makuha rin ang kaalaman nila.

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